The injury to Louisville guard Kevin Ware has drawn the attention of a national audience, but he appears to be in good spirits after undergoing surgery to repair the compound fracture and being released from the hospital.

Ware has been cleared by doctors to make the trip with the team to the Final Four and took time to answer questions from the media Wednesday prior to his team’s trip. He recounted how important encouragement was from teammate Luke Hancock was in the immediate moments after the injury.

“He got me to that point where I really had to put the pain on hold,” said Ware, as reported by the AP. “Once he said his prayer, I was kind of thinking the whole time, `you can either be a crybaby about it or you’re going to get your team back and get them in the right mindset’.”

The injury he suffered was nearly unimaginable for a sport like basketball, but the days since have brought an outpouring of support from fans, other players, and media personalities. He will be on the sidelines when the Cardinals take on Wichita State on Saturday.

“I had no idea I would get this kind of attention,” he said. “I’m one of those guys who just likes to play basketball. But the injury opened up a lot of peoples’ eyes and I really appreciate all the support. It really means a lot.”